Injection of Natural Protease Inhibitors and Evaluation of Their Impact on Cooked Pacific Whiting (Merluccius productus) Fillets

Abstract

Texture softening in fish has typically been addressed by diverting product to lower-value minced applications where ingredients can be blended-in to counteract softening caused by enzymes. Investigations demonstrate feasibility of brine injection of protease inhibitor ingredient, dried egg white, to preserve protein integrity during cooking. Dried potato extract required a suspension aide, xanthan gum, in order to become sufficiently suspended in the brine for injection. Dried potato extract was able to inhibit protease activity, however, the suspension aide negatively impacted protein-protein interactions during cooking. An alternative suspension aide is therefore required for dried potato extract.